The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus removably attachable to a rotary lawn mower for collecting grass, leaves, and debris in a disposable collection bag.
There are several devices that have been developed over the years for mounting on lawn mowers to catch grass, leaves, and debris. One type of device that is widely used is a flexible bag made of a material that is pervious to air, and which is connected to the grass discharge chute on the rotary lawn mower. A disadvantage of this type of collection system is that the operator must remove the bag and dump the contents collected in the bag into a trash can or garbage bag and then replace the bag on the mower. The present invention allows the grass, leaves, and debris to be collected directly into a garbage bag and thus there is no need to transfer the materials from the collection bag to another container.
There also have been grass-catching devices for lawn mowers using disposable bags. For example, there is the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,418, which claims a specially designed lawn mower on which a discharge chute may be mounted for collecting grass in a disposable bag. The present invention is designed for use on existing consumer and commercial lawn mowers and does not require a specially designed lawn mower.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,806 also describes a collection device using an impermeable collection bag. That device is not self-contained and does not have a bag support and exhaust vent as claimed in the present invention. Instead, in the ""806 Patent the collection bag is supported by the handle of the lawn mower. In addition, the device in the ""806 Patent uses a perforated screen to trap grass and debris in the collection bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,070 also describes and claims a grass catching apparatus for a mower that supports the collection bag on the handles of the mower rather than using a separate support system as claimed in the present invention. The device in the ""070 Patent also recirculates the exhaust air back into the grass cutting chamber of the lawn mower.
Other U.S. Patents that illustrate the general state of the art for collection bags for lawn mowers include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,243,809; 4,631,909; 4,566,257; 4,505,095; 4,413,467; 4,310,990; 4,186,546; 4,059,398; 3,890,772; and 3,722,192.
The present invention relates to an apparatus removably attachable to a rotary lawn mower for collecting grass, leaves, and debris in a disposable collection bag, such as a plastic garbage bag.
An object of this invention is to provide a self-contained apparatus for collecting grass in a disposable garbage bag, which apparatus can be easily mounted on and removed from a consumer or commercial lawn mower.
A further object of the invention is to provide a means for easily connecting the apparatus to and removing it from the grass discharge chute of a rotary lawn mower.
A further object of the invention is for the apparatus to support the disposable collection bag as it collects grass and debris and to prevent the bottom of the collection bag from floating upward.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method for easily attaching and detaching the disposable collection bag to the apparatus.
A further object of the invention is to provide a means for venting air out of the collection bag and for preventing grass, leaves, and debris from being vented out of the collection bag.
A further object of the invention is to make the bag support movable so as to allow the collection bag to be easily removed from the apparatus when the bag is full.
A further object of the invention is to prevent rocks, sticks and other rigid objects that may be discharged from the lawn mower from perforating the collection bag.
A further object of the invention is to redirect the air flow from the exhaust vent away from the lawn mower.